Trending: 20-somethings drawn to 06810

Published 10:53 pm, Wednesday, July 17, 2013

From left, Chelsea Deitch, 22, of Bedford, NY, Lindsey Tanner, 22, of Mount Kisco, NY, and Joanna Coco, 21, of Pound Ridge, NY, enjoy a meal and drinks outside Black Bear Saloon during Alive@Five at Columbus Park in Stamford on Thursday, July 11, 2013. They say they try to make to Stamford a few times a month for shopping and entertainment.
Photo: Jason Rearick

Danbury's 06810 ZIP code has a significantly higher density of 20-somethings than the state of Connecticut as a whole, thanks to availability of rental housing and easy access to major highways.

The Southwestern corner of Connecticut has never exactly been known as a hot spot for the young and trendy. With 10.99 percent of Southwestern Connecticut's population between ages 20 and 29, according to data from the 2011 American Community Survey, the area's 20-somethings are significantly outnumbered by a grayer demographic, such as folks older than 65, who account for 13.5 percent of the area's population. But there are some pockets of the area where the 20-something population is reaching numbers that command attention.

In the 06810 ZIP code, which encompasses most of the Hat City, for example, 16.5 percent of residents are between 20 and 29, accounting for about 8,000 residents. Were the ZIP code closer to the national average of 13.8 percent, there would be about 1,200 fewer 20-somethings calling the area home.

"Danbury is good for young people, because it's a good artery," said Terence Beaty, director of new homes and land division at Prudential Real Estate.

"There's I-84 and there's a ton of complexes developed over the last 10 to 20 years, so if you want to live in a townhouse or an apartment style unit, there are plenty of great complexes. And then you can hop on I-84 to 684 to get to your job," he said.

In Stamford's 06901 ZIP code, which hugs the sharp corners of the city's downtown, 29 percent of residents are between 20 and 29, giving the area more than double the density of 20-somethings, as the overall national average of 13.8 percent.

It's the third most densely populated ZIP for these young residents of the 237 ZIPs with at least 1,000 people in the state, behind Mansfield's 06269 ZIP code, which contains the University of Connecticut's main campus, leading it to a somewhat unfair No. 1 spot with 50.4 percent of residents in their 20s. The second highest is New Haven's 06510, which borders Yale, and boasts a massive amount of residents in the undergraduate age bracket.

In the top 15, there are a total of three Southwestern Connecticut neighborhoods. But in the bottom 15, there are 10, with Rowayton's 06583 ZIP code in Norwalk coming in at the second least popular place for 20-somethings in all of Connecticut, with 2.5 percent of the population in that age bracket ­-- or about 95 people. Darien's 06820 is the fourth-least popular, Sherman's 06784 is the fifth-least popular, followed by Weston's 06883 at No. 7 and Redding's 06986 at No. 9 and New Canaan's 06840 rounding out the top 10.

"If there are rentals in the suburbs, they're not that affordable," Beaty said.

"It's funny because it has to do with how you look at it. If you're a young person, it's like, `Wait a minute. I can't afford this,' " he said. "People don't really think of it through the eyes of a young person."

Unlike the more suburban spots, you can see these young urban dwellers just about everywhere in Stamford's downtown, from the studios and one-bedroom apartments in the new apartment buildings popping up on Washington Boulevard to the outdoor dining tables on Bedford Street and watering holes that surround the Alive@Five concert series.

Jordyn Peck, 25, is just one of a few more than 1,900 20-something residents in the 06901 ZIP code, where she has lived for about 2 ½ years, after moving to town for her job at GE. She recently finished her two-year training course at her company, which was her original reason for coming to town. But now that she's technically free to move somewhere else, she said she's not going anywhere.

"It's nice to park your car on a weekend and not touch it," she said. "There's no driving -- you can just walk anywhere. Yeah, it's like that in New York City, but I would prefer to live here. Everything is here, most of my friends are here and it's a fun place to be."

The top five ZIP codes in Connecticut for 20-somethings begin at Stamford's 06901, before Bridgeport's 06604 at No. 2, Stamford's 06902 at No. 3, and Bridgeport's 06608 and 06609 at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. But even that data, which is the most recent available, doesn't show the significant growth that's taken place in these pockets since 2011 when it was last measured.

For instance, In 06902, the Harbor Point development has opened about 1,100 units since that time, drawing roughly 1,600 people to the area, Harbor Point's Chief Operating Officer Ted Ferrarone said earlier this week. Of those 1,600 new residents, about 500 are in their 20s, he said. So while 2011 data shows that about 12,500 residents in that area were in their 20s, it's likely closer to 13,000 today.

The second half of the "if you build it, they will come" mantra is unfolding in the city of Stamford, but it's not the only city upping its game.

"Bridgeport has been a burgeoning city for some time, and it's had fits and starts," Beaty said. "But it's usually very creative people who are able to develop and populate an area like that first, and then you see more development with the money that's created. Bridgeport's coming, you'll see."